The World Premiere of Blue is presented by Rogue Machine. Written by June Carryl. Directed by Michael Matthews. Produced by Sara Fenton, Kila Kitu, Mildred Langford, Tarina Pouncy, and Betsy Zajko. A Rogue Machine Production.
As some police officers were seen participating in the events in the Capitol on January 6, 2021, writer June Carryl asks if there is a link between those events and some instances of police brutality. In Blue, police sergeant Sully (John Colella), who is White, is facing criminal charges in the killing of a Black veteran who was stopped for expired tags. Interrogating Sully about the incident is detective Parker (Julanne Chidi Hill), who is Black. We soon find out that they’ve known each other for a long time, but the initial friendly interaction starts to take a turn for the worst.
Sully and Parker’s husband were police partners, something that holds its own secrets and becomes crucial in the way Sully and Parker think of each other. Sully was also one of the cops seen participating in the Capitol riot on January 2021. A picture of his involvement in that incident is now being used to determine his bias towards the killing of the Black veteran. Once Parker asks more questions about the events that led to the shooting of the veteran, Sully discloses more details that start to reveal his real motivations and perhaps even his predisposition for violence and racism.
The interaction between Sully and Parker is somehow a metaphor of the relationship between Blacks and Whites in America in a larger scale, friendly at times, but distrustful and sometimes even violent in other instances. One thing that stands out in Blue is the fact that negative emotions seem to be always close to the surface in a latent state, ready to explode at the first provocation. In the case of the two characters, their apparent close and friendly relationship didn’t erase the resentment that has existed for hundreds of years between both races.
Sully sees himself as a patriot, betrayed by society for upholding the law as a citizen and police officer. Parker sees herself as a victim of a system that still treats her as a second class citizen. Carryl’s script is sharp and painful, but as close to reality as it can be. Colella and Hill’s visceral performances will trigger strong emotions that, despite their vicious nature, feel cathartic at the end. Director Michael Matthews achieves of all of this with just a light, a table, and two chairs. The set is arranged as an interrogation room; it is a closed and suffocating space, “like a pressure cooker” in the words of Matthews. Blue is an unfiltered view of what lies under the surface of apparent civilized relationships. It is an impactful image that needs to be analyzed on our path to mutual understanding.
Blue
ROGUE MACHINE (The Henry Murray Stage upstairs at the Matrix Theatre)
7657 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046. Street parking
Opening at 8pm on Friday, April 7, 2023
Schedule: 8pm Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays, 3pm Sundays
Closing: May 14, 2023
Tickets: roguemachinetheatre.org
Written by June Carryl. Directed by Michael Matthews. Cast: John Colella and Julanne Chidi Hill. Produced by Sara Fenton, Kila Kitu, Mildred Langford, Tarina Pouncy, and Betsy Zajko. A Rogue Machine Production. Creative team: Joe McClean and Dane Bowman (Production Design), Chris Moscatiello (Sound Design).
